The Mysterious Grand Feast

Shi Xiu gazed quietly at Nara Luling standing in the doorway, sighing inwardly. It's true what they say: if it's a blessing, it won't be a disaster; if it's a disaster, there's no escaping it. What was meant to come has arrived after all.

The moment Nara Luling saw Shi Xiu, she lifted her foot to approach, but as her gaze fell upon Haku at his side, she froze in place as if struck by a binding spell.

"Lord Shi Xiu, you... have finally returned?" After regaining her composure, Nara Luling asked with a respectful bow.

However, Nara Luling's eyes remained fixed on Haku, unable to look away.

Shi Xiu nodded expressionlessly and replied, "Mm. Did you need something?"

Shi Xiu's tone was as flat and undisturbed as the surface of a lake on an autumn day.

Hearing the question, Nara Luling opened her mouth as if to say something, but the words died on her lips.

For a moment, a suffocating silence fell between them. They stared at each other in silence, neither willing to be the first to break the stillness.

Standing beside Shi Xiu, Haku curiously sized up Nara Luling before tilting his head to look at Shi Xiu.

He could clearly sense the tense and subtle atmosphere permeating the air.

Just then, Obito, who had been out running errands, spotted the three of them standing at the entrance from afar. Puzzled, he quickened his pace and asked, "Lord Shi Xiu, why are you all just standing here? Why don't you go inside?"

Shi Xiu had spotted Obito coming from a distance, laden with bags and hurrying along, and secretly sighed in relief—his savior had arrived!

Shi Xiu hurried forward, deftly taking some of the items from Obito's hands while asking curiously, "Obito, what have you got in all these bags?"

At Shi Xiu's inquiry, a shy look crossed Obito's face. He scratched his head, gave an embarrassed smile, and replied, "The mistress told me to go to the market to pick up some vegetables, so I just got back. Plus, Rin's birthday is in a month, so I thought I'd get a head start on picking out a special gift for her."

As he spoke, a hint of anticipation and nervousness flickered in Obito's eyes.

With that, Shi Xiu and Obito chatted aimlessly as they walked toward the gate.

However, Shi Xiu didn't notice Nara Luling at the door at all, acting as if she didn't exist.

Haku, however, who was following closely behind Shi Xiu, suddenly stopped when he passed by Nara Luling.

Haku looked up and, with eyes as clear as water, carefully scrutinized Nara Luling from head to toe.

At the same time, Nara Luling turned her gaze toward Haku, her eyes filled with confusion and curiosity.

Just as Nara Luling was about to ask about Haku's identity, Shi Xiu's familiar voice rang out from inside the house.

"Haku, don't just stand there like a statue, come on in... and Nara Luling, you come in too."

Shi Xiu, who had been hesitant, finally decided to invite Nara Luling inside.

Hearing this, Nara Luling didn't bother asking about Haku anymore and stepped into the house.

Haku followed closely behind. Just then, Obito, who hadn't been paying attention to what was happening behind him, finally sensed something amiss and whipped his head around.

At the sight, he was left dumbfounded—Haku was wearing a dress!

Obito stared at Shi Xiu in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief and utter astonishment.

It was as if he had seen the most bizarre thing in the world; his mouth hung slightly open, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Shi Xiu naturally noticed Obito's strange gaze and couldn't help but feel a wave of awkwardness, forcing a faint smile onto his face.

Shi Xiu quickly handed the shopping bag full of clothes to Haku and said softly, "Haku, take these clothes to my room and change. We'll be eating soon."

As he spoke, Shi Xiu gestured toward the direction of his room.

Haku nodded obediently to show he understood. He took the bag from Shi Xiu and turned to head toward the room.

Nara Luling, standing not far away, watched Haku's retreating figure with curiosity, muttering to herself.

Who on earth is this little girl? Why did she suddenly appear here? And looking at how close she seems to be with Shi Xiu, could she be his long-lost daughter?

At this thought, Nara Luling shook her head vigorously, scolding herself. Oh my, what kind of nonsense is my brain coming up with? That's absolutely ridiculous!

Just then, Minato, Kushina, and Rin emerged from the house.

They saw Shi Xiu and Obito, both of them loaded down with vegetables and meat.

Seeing this, Minato hurried forward and quickly took the heavy bags from their hands.

Meanwhile, Rin walked over to Obito, smiled, pulled a snow-white tissue from her pocket, and carefully handed it to him.

Watching Rin's gentle smile, a wave of warmth surged through Obito's heart. He happily accepted the tissue and began wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead.

Nara Luling, standing to the side, felt a pang of envy at the sight and wanted to step forward to wipe Shi Xiu's sweat just like Rin did.

However, before she could act, Shi Xiu seemed to have read her mind and turned to her.

"Luling, do me a favor and go fetch Kakashi. I'm going to show you all my cooking skills today—I'm going to pull out all the stops!" Shi Xiu said, his face beaming with confidence.

Nara Luling nodded and replied, "Understood, Lord Shi Xiu."

With that, she turned and leaped away, vanishing from the courtyard.

Minato and the others stared at Shi Xiu in bewilderment, and Minato asked directly, "Lord Shi Xiu, you're actually skilled in cooking? That's truly unexpected!" His words were filled with curiosity and surprise.

Hearing Minato's question, Shi Xiu felt speechless and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

However, facing the expectant gazes of the crowd, Shi Xiu did not offer much of an explanation, instead curling the corners of his lips into a mysterious, inscrutable smile.

Shi Xiu said softly, "Everyone, please stay calm and just watch my performance. For now, let's get these ingredients prepped, and then you can just wait and see."

Before his words had even faded, Shi Xiu turned and walked briskly toward his room.

Minato and Kushina exchanged a glance, nodded in tacit agreement, and then began to help Obito and Rin process the overflowing pile of ingredients.

By this time, Shi Xiu had already returned inside. As soon as he entered, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to Haku, who had just finished changing clothes.

Haku was dressed in a simple set of men's clothing; though the attire was plain, it could not conceal the gentle beauty radiating from him.

Haku had just finished changing when he noticed Shi Xiu walk into the room. He turned his head toward Shi Xiu with a hint of confusion, asking softly, "Is there something you need, sir?" His clear, water-like eyes held a trace of bewilderment.

Shi Xiu smiled, stepped forward, and reached out with a warm, firm hand, letting it rest gently upon Haku's silky, smooth hair.

Shi Xiu rubbed it softly, as if playing with a precious treasure. As his fingers continued to move, Haku's originally neat hair gradually became a tangled mess, as if it had been swept by a gale.

Yet, Shi Xiu seemed completely unbothered, remaining all smiles as he thoroughly enjoyed this moment of intimate interaction with Haku.

Finally, when Shi Xiu stopped his hand, feeling satisfied, Haku's hair was a complete disaster.

Haku looked up at Shi Xiu with a touch of dissatisfaction, though a hint of imperceptible joy flickered within his eyes.

Shi Xiu also sensed Haku's slight annoyance, so he curled his lips into a brilliant smile and said softly.

"Haha, don't be angry! It's alright. To welcome your arrival, I'm planning to cook a sumptuous, delicious feast for you myself! How about it? Aren't you looking forward to it?"

Upon hearing this, Haku was stunned for a moment before he hurriedly smoothed out his messy hair with his hands.

Although he still felt a little disgruntled about Shi Xiu messing up his hair, the moment he heard that Shi Xiu intended to cook for him personally, a wave of emotion surged in his heart.

Haku looked at Shi Xiu, his eyes shimmering with gratitude, and said softly, "Thank you for going to such trouble, sir, but... wouldn't that be too much of a bother for you?"

Shi Xiu shook his head, looked at Haku, and said, "It's nothing; I happen to be craving it myself."

Haku nodded upon hearing this, unable to help but look forward to the mysterious feast Shi Xiu had promised.

PS: Regarding whether those under the Reanimation can eat, Hongchen specifically checked the anime and manga, and neither explicitly states that they cannot. If it isn't said they can't, then they can—that's how Hongchen understands it, right? Hehe.